“I’m sorry that I hurt people,” he added Thursday night. “I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.”

The controversy over the tweets began earlier this week following the announcement that the Night School actor would host the upcoming Academy Awards. Some of the tweets dating back years were deleted, but screenshots showed several posts using anti-gay language as well as repeated use of the words “fag” and “homo.”

The LGBT group GLAAD told BuzzFeed News that it had reached out to ABC, the Academy and Hart’s management to discuss “his rhetoric and record, as well as opportunities for positive LGBTQ inclusion on the Oscars stage.”

The Academy did not immediately respond to a BuzzFeed News request for comment Thursday night.